Replacing the IR diode in the remote control increases the control range

Sometimes, in order to make some switches with the remote control, you need to get up and come almost close to the device being controlled. And sometimes, you have to rotate the remote control and frantically, pressing buttons, try, like a shooter, to get into the infrared radiation receiver of the device.

In such cases, you want to run the remote control to hell and manually switch the desired mode.

Why is this happening?

The fact is that previously higher quality electronic components were used in household appliances. Now they are trying to save on everything by using parts at a lower price. It is the use of cheap infrared LED with low radiation power and poor-quality lens, lead to the above problems.

What can be done in cases where the remote control does not function at all or works at close range?

Below in the article, a method for repairing and increasing the range of the remote control will be described. It won’t take much time, much less money.

Remote control diagnostics

You can check whether the remote control works or not in a simple way.

To do this, firstly, you need to insert new batteries into it. Secondly, turn on the phone camera and point the remote control at it and press the “ON” button. You should see the infrared diode light up on the phone screen.

The human eye does not see this radiation spectrum, but the phone’s camera records it, and on the display this glow is similar to the indication of a normal LED.

If this does not happen, then the remote control is faulty.

In such cases, replacing the infrared diode may help.

The method for repairing and upgrading the remote control is similar, so the modernization will be described below.

For example, we take the T2 digital television set-top box, controlled by a remote control.

The console itself has no complaints about its operation, but the control panel leaves much to be desired. Even with new batteries, a person who wants to make some switches must approach the device at a distance of less than two meters, which is not entirely convenient. If you are further than this distance, the remote control becomes simply invisible and impossible to control.

Modernization - repair

The modernization itself consists of replacing the infrared Light-emitting diode to another, more powerful one.

Take one like this Light-emitting diode you can use the remote control from an old VCR, faulty DVD player, air conditioner or stereo system.

If you don’t have one at home, then a similar remote control can be purchased at flea markets for pennies. The main thing is that it is working and is powered by two batteries with a total voltage of three volts.

When going to the market, you need to take two AA batteries to check the remote control, and a mobile phone, which, in principle, should always be nearby.

Having found a suitable remote control, insert the batteries into it and turn on the phone camera. Let's point it at her Light-emitting diode remote control and press any button. A working remote control should emit infrared light, which will be visible on the phone screen, in the form of a burst of pulses.

If this is not visible, then the remote control is most likely faulty, and there is no point in buying one.

In the photo, the remote control is unknown, either from the air conditioner or from the heater, but it is definitely working, and with a powerful infrared diode. The air conditioner itself has been gone for a long time; it was broken and could not be repaired. He will be the donor.

Usually the two halves of the remote control body are held together with a latch, but there are cases when there is also a fastening screw that is located under the batteries in the battery compartment. If there is one, then unscrew it, and then, using a knife to pick out the junction of the two parts, we separate them.

When the case is disassembled, inside it we find a control board on which there are electronic components, a button pad and the infrared LED itself.

Next, we put the old remote control aside and disassemble the one we want to upgrade. In our case, this is the remote control for the T2 set-top box.

The principle of disassembly is the same as in the first case. We unscrew the fastening screw - if there is one, and use a knife or screwdriver to separate the halves of the case.

In the photo, a board with an infrared diode.

Next, take a 25 or 40 W soldering iron and solder the diode from the donor board.

It is very important not to overheat the device with a soldering iron, because semiconductor devices need to be soldered for no more than two seconds, otherwise they may be destroyed.Also, you need to be careful with the legs of the diode so as not to bend them again and not break them.

Before soldering the diode, you need to determine the polarity - where is the anode and where is the cathode, or the positive and negative terminals.

It happens that the polarity is indicated on the board, but most often there is no marking, so you should immediately determine where the positive terminal is and mark it on the board.

You can determine the output in a simple way. You need to carefully look at the diode with a magnifying glass, and the terminal in the housing that is shorter is the anode (plus), and the one that is larger and wider is the cathode or minus.

Having determined on the board of the T2 remote control where the positive terminal is, we make a mark by scratching it with something sharp, for example an awl.

Now you can desolder the diode from the board.

Since the soldered donor diode has shorter legs than the one that should be replaced, there is no need to solder the diode from the T2 board. It must be bitten off with pliers, leaving small conclusions. We will solder the donor diode to them. Thus, the length must be sufficient for the diode lens to extend beyond the closed housing.

We tin the leads on the diode and the ends on the board, and carefully - observing the polarity - solder them to each other.

We check the strength of the soldering by tugging on the diode.

We insert the board into the lower part of the case and snap it into place at the top.

We install the batteries and check the operation of the remote control by pointing it at the mobile phone camera. As mentioned earlier, a glow should appear when you press the buttons.

The result of the work done

This replacement of the infrared diode gave a very good result. The remote control began to confidently control the set-top box at a distance of more than four meters.

At the same time, the current consumption from the batteries did not change.